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< Piro >

At least I'm getting better with getting comics up more or less when they are supposed to. Now I just gotta get up to speed with the rants. ^^;; Then, I need to get better at updating Fredart, answering email, working on the missing parts of the website, cutting back on the coffee intake...

In a perfect world, right?

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who emailed Sarah and I congratulating us on our nuptials. Sarah and I are quite happy together, and it kinda surprised me how nice it felt to get so many people wishing us well. Thank you, it meant a lot to us.

As a side note, there are so many things we take for granted in this world. For instance, the fact that there were no legal or political obstacles that Sarah and I had to overcome to get married. It is so hard to find your partner in this life that it really bothers me when people feel the need to tell you can't do something because your relationship doesn't fit into "their world". I'm sorry, but when people feel the need to restrict the rights of others because it is some kind of obtuse threat to "their way of life," it really bothers me. Most of the world's woes can be attributed to this kind of ignorance based logic. That's all I'll say on the matter.

[actually, I guess I need to clarify, just a little. My point above is not to slam anyone or any group, but to merely point out that restricting the rights of others based on the logic of your own belief system is 'ignorance based logic' (which doesn't make me right, of course).]

I hope you've either enjoyed or tolerated my little segue with Grand Theft Colo - Otaku City (yes, "segue" not "segway" -- a "segue" is changing to a side story, a "segway" is a little scooter that tosses presidents). Doing things like this can be a refreshing break, and it's a harmless way to mess with people's minds. I am sorry if anything in these comics offended anyone. It is a delicate balance to push the envelope a bit without going too far. While it's true that you can pretty much do anything you want on the internet, the MT reader base is a very broad demographic, and I feel that a certain amount of responsibility on my part is wise. Also, I think that having edges to push against is a challenge that makes things better. Also, Piro the Homicidal Web Comic Artist wanted some screen time, so who am I to argue with him? (with many many apologies to Mr. Jhonen Vasquez and his delightful, touching work, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac :P)

Speaking of comics, I really wish I had been able to go to APE this year, but oh well, there really was no way. Obviously, I got a real kick out of Johnny the Homocidal Maniac, but there are a few other Slave Labor Graphics titles I really like as well, including Nightmares and Fairytales (which I've mentioned before) and a new one that I really enjoyed - Serenity Rose by Aaron A. I was only able to find Issue #2, so I need to hunt down the first issue, but there was something really fun about it. I dunno if it's the art style, or the subtle writing (you really have to read it carefully to follow it) but it really amused the hell out of me. That puni style is something I'm not very good at, I wish I was. Sweet little comic, it really is. Need to find #1 and get #3...

Another comic that I picked up a second volume of was Legends of Darkwood. It's definitely going to take a few comics before the story really falls into place, but I like John Kantz's artwork (some of it seems rushed, but like I'm one to talk), and I think that once this title matures it could be really nice. Besides, the covers to #1 and #2 are awesome :)

Also, I had mentioned another comic I particularly liked called Mia It seems that Enrico Casarosa is also experimenting with the serialized webcomic format with a storystory called Haiku 5-7-5. Worth checking out, Enrico has a neat artistic style.

Yeee, I'm so not talking about the things I'm supposed to be talking about, like part 2 and part 3 of my japan trip, or our trip to Katsucon (which was great, and without the snow this year - tho there was an Anthrax scare at the show which resulted in Seraphim and I getting separated for a short period of time... that was NOT fun).

Oh, one of the things that we'll be doing this year is shooting video footage at the cons we will be going to. Since so much energy will be spent this year at conventions and stuff, we felt that it might be kinda fun to record some of it and share it with readers who never make it to cons. I might try to put together some footage from Katsu just for fun in a short clip. Anyways, I'll keep you posted as to what we end up doing with it.

Oh, and I just sorta have to mention this... allow me to let my inner fanboy mode take over for a bit. Clannad, the new visual novel game by Key (the makers of Kanon and Air) finally has a release date! April 28th! yay! Finally. I must see what I can do to get a copy lined up. I also must look into lining up some minions to gather some of the two-sided promo posters that are going up in stores 5 weeks before the game release. You can't buy them. Minions must find alternative means... must take more drastic steps to get them. Yes, must have... it has nothing to do with the kitty ears (each of the girls has a different set of animal ears... ok, I know, that's kinda weird, im in fanboy mode, it doesn't bother me, so sue me). No, I can't... no... mustn't... yes...

(rattles himself out of fanboy mode)

Oh, and my apologies to all the wonderful Applecare techs out there for the little dig in todays comic, but I couldn't resist. :P I wish I had an Ipod. I need to make someone give me one. yeah. That's what I need to do...

< Dom >

First: Fred actually expects a game to come out on time. Heh. Cute. Any release date two months in the future has to be considered suspect, but hey, we all have to believe in something ;)

Second: Dr. Devious is going strong, and I will beat Cliff at Ro-Sham-Bo/Jan-Ken-Pon to run game nights some day...

Okay, on to what I did last Monday. See, last Monday, I decided I wanted to one of the nation's current hot spots: San Francisco City Hall. In case you've been ignoring the news for the past week and a half, Gavin Newsom (who, to Beach Blanket Babylon's delight, rhymes with "twosome") declared that California's marriage law violated the "equal protection" clause of its constitution, and started issuing gender-neutral marriage licenses. So, being the stereotypical California Liberal I am, I went out there to watch and support the long-suffering souls who marched into City Hall and came out married, at least in the eyes of San Francisco.

It was quite an experience. There were rose petals and rice grains everywhere, cake was everywhere, motorists were continually sounding their horns in support while the crowd outside applauded (and didn't mind the rain one bit)... and I got to stand behind the mariachi band for about a half hour. This was an unexpected boon as well as a fun time, as I finally learned the lyrics to Cielito Lindo, which has been stuck in my head since about 1996. I also caught a garter, which is something I completely didn't expect to do. The question is, since I caught it from a lesbian couple, does that mean I'm going to marry a man or a woman? I'm hoping the latter, but there isn't really a precedent for this, is there?

I'm not going to launch into my opinions on the whole matter, because it's fairly obvious what mine are, though I'm amused that Governor Ahnold said some pretty extreme words about the long-reaching effects of the gay marriages on NBC News' Meet the Press: "all of a sudden, we see riots, we see protests, we see people clashing". If mariachi and tap dancing counts as rioting, well, count me in. Personally, I subscribe to something more like Mark Fiore'scartoon on the whole thing. Be warned, it's Flash. But it's also pretty funny.

I also find it funny that, even though the gay marriages are likely to be ruled invalid, the "divorce" rate among these couples will be lower than that of heterosexual marriages, since most of the 3,000 gay couples have been together for so long already. But that's just my take on things. I could very well be wrong about that.

Join me on Wednesday when, fresh off of a rant showing support for what many Christians believe is an abomination, I talk about Lent and why I'm giving up (certain kinds of) video games.